Chapter Six

Victoria couldn't hep but be amazed by the palace. It had been beautiful by moonlight and candlelight but the glow of sunlight gave an almost ethereal look. The pair were guided into a large study with a huge table, the four sat at the end of it looking oddly like not enough people had turned up for a meeting.

"This is were the privy council usually sit." The King clarified. "Now what do you have to tell us?"

Henry repeated his dream and what Aslan had told him their mission was.

"To find me a wife?" The king finally asked when Henry had finished.

"Yes," Henry repeated. "Is that odd?"

"It is certainly unusual, although there is nothing usual when Aslan does send children from beyond the world's end. There have been four recorded cases of children coming from your world to ours." The king turned his back to them facing a bookshelf, he finally pulled down a heavy volume and opened it. "There was of course the golden age of Narnia, presided over by High King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund and Queen Lucy. They were brother and sister like you and they ruled over Narnia in its happiest time." He closed the book with four monarchs on horseback and opened a second. "The same four children re-appeared thousands of years later in our time to help my grandfather to claim his crown from his wicked uncle." The king opened the new book on a page showing a solitary King on his coronation day, the young man was sat on a throne with an orb in one hand and a sword in the other and crown on his head as he stared right out of the page. The king changed the page. "King Edmund and Queen Lucy then reappeared with their cousin Eustace a few years later on my grandfathers great sea voyage to the edge of the known world." Victoria looked at the page before her, it showed a beautiful ship in the middle of a great storm a tiny figure at the very front in shadow. "Then finally Eustace returned with Jill Pole to rescue my father from the depths of underland were he had been kept by a witch for years."

"So apart from the four Kings and Queens everyone new to Narnia came with someone who had been here before, like Eustace and Jill did?" Henry asked.

"Yes."

"And they have always come to join a quest or help Narnia in times of trouble."

"Yes." The King repeated.

"You omitted one thing from your story," Victoria said. The King looked curious. "What happened after your father was rescued and how you became King?"

"Oh, well father managed to get to see his father one last time before he died. He was then crowned King Rillian. He married my mother five or six years later, she was the daughter of one of the men who went of the journey to the world's end with my grandfather apparently they would stay up late telling each other stories about that journey. Then they had me, mother died giving birth to me. Father was heartbroken he talked of her often when I was a boy said I was never to forget her even if we wouldn't meet in this world. He died himself just over a year ago: a riding accident. Then I came to the throne as Rillian II."

"I'm sorry." Victoria said. She wasn't quite sure what else was appropriate after Rillian's sombre story.

"Thank you," he smiled. "I don't think he ever planned for me to take the throne so young, at least I was passed my majority so there was no need for a regency.". There was a pause for a moment or so before King Rilian left the spot where he had been stood beside Victoria and Pervis. He walked slowly towards a small cabinet sat on a great sideboard that Victoria had managed to avoid looking at as her eyes were distracted by the paintings and great statues. King Rilian slipped a small key into the cabinet turning it, the little door swung open and everyone saw a small golden crown on a red velvet cushion. "Here it it the golden crown, bestowed upon all the Queens of Narnia legend says Queen Lucy herself wore it." There was a deep pause and even Victoria, a newcomer to Narnia could tell that the crown meant a great deal to the people of Narnia. "And now," Rilian began "dinner I think I will order the cook to put together a special meal in celebration of our guests. I will get Hannah to show you to your rooms."

Hannah turned out to be a lady's maid. She was a smiley girl older than Victoria but not taller. She had a pale complexion and long dark hair. Victoria was convinced she saw leaves poke out of her hair.

"Here you are my lady," She curtsied showing Victoria into a large room. A great fire roared in the grate and a sweet smell that wasn't overpowering hung around the room. In the middle of the room was a large four poster bed. Victoria looked at Hannah before running onto to the bed.

"I couldn't resist," she said as way of apology but found Hannah far from telling her off was laughing so hard she was holding the door for support. "Come on Miss," She said when she could finally speak "I will draw you a bath." Walking down the stairs to the great hall Victoria thought there could be nothing quite as wonderful as a bath in front of the fire. She'd had a fantastic bath with Hannah passing her herbs and perfumes she had never heard of. Victoria was slightly worried she now smelt like a Turkish perfumery but she didn't mind.

"Victoria, Victoria," an enthusiastic Henry waved at her pointing to a seat beside King Rillian at the head of the large table in the great hall. Victoria sat down beside her brother smiling at the bowls and mounds of food before her.

"Lord, Ladies and Gentlemen," the king said standing up. "I grant it my great pleasure to welcome you all to our feast. This feast is, as you all know, in honour of our guests from beyond the world's end. Aslan has felt it necessary to bestow upon us two visitors from the other world. So I would like you to raise your glass to our Lord Aslan."

"Our Lord Aslan." The room echoed. Victoria and Henry joined in but Victoria felt like a fraud in some way like she was toasting to a being she didn't really understand. She voiced her concern to Rillian once everyone began eating, he laughed.

"My lady if we understood Aslan then life would not be a mystery and what's the good of that?"